Beyoncé's entertainment company is seeking sanctions against a music copyright owner and his attorney, accusing them of making contradictory ownership claims in a renewed lawsuit over the singer's 2022 hit "Alien Superstar."
In court papers filed Thursday, October 15, 2026, Parkwood Entertainment asked a California federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit and impose monetary penalties on Shuji Hirose and his attorney, DaShawn Hayes. The company called the claims "objectively baseless," arguing that Hirose changed his account of who owned the song sampled on Beyoncé's Renaissance album.
The dispute centers on "Moonraker," a 1998 track by John Holiday whose spoken-word introduction appears in "Alien Superstar." Parkwood licensed the sample directly from Holiday, paying him $10,000 and a 0.5% royalty share. Hirose claims he owns the underlying rights and should have been involved in the agreement.
Parkwood argues that Hirose's ownership claims have shifted throughout the litigation. His original complaint asserted that a 2008 copyright assignment gave him 50% of the publishing rights to "Moonraker." An amended filing claimed 100% ownership, raising questions about whether Holiday retained the authority to license the song.
The distinction is central to Parkwood's defense. Under copyright law, a co-owner can generally grant a nonexclusive license without another co-owner's permission. Parkwood maintains that Holiday's retained interest was sufficient to authorize the sample,...
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